The State Integrity Investigation, which measures hundreds of variables to compile transparency and accountability grades for all States Have come up with stunning findings. The best grade in the nation, which went to Alaska is just a C. Only two others earned better than a D+; 11 states received failing grades. The findings may be deflating to the two-thirds of Americans who,apparently, now look to the states for policy solutions as gridlock and partisanship have overtaken Washington D.C.
The top of the pack includes progressive governments, including California,ranked 2nd with a C-, and states notorious for corrupt pasts (Connecticut, 3rd with a C-, and Rhode Island, 5th with a D+). In those New England states, scandals led to significant reforms and relatively robust ethics laws, even if dubious dealings linger in the halls of government. The bottom includes many western states that champion limited government, like Nevada, south Dakota and Wyoming, but also others, such as Maine, Delaware and dead-last Michigan, that have not adopted the types of ethics and open records laws common in many other states.
With a few notable exceptions, there has been little progress on these issues since the State Integrity Investigation was first carried out in 2012. In fact, most scores have dropped since then, though some of that is due to changes made to improve and update the project and its methodology.
Since State Integrity’s first go-round, at least 12 states have seen their legislative leaders or top cabinet-level officials charged, convicted or resign as a result of ethics or corruption-related scandal. Five house or assembly leaders have fallen. No state has outdone New York, where 14 lawmakers have left office since the beginning of 2012 due to ethical or criminal issues, according to a count by Citizens Union, an advocacy group. That does not include the former leaders of both the Assembly and the Senate, who were charged in unrelated corruption schemes earlier this year but remain in office.New York is not remarkable, however, in at least one regard: Only one of those 14 lawmakers has been sanctioned by the state’s ethics commission. (Originally published on Alternet and also published on nakedcapitalism.com)
States rights advocates make a big issue of their Big Federal Government and its constant interference. The latter is often incompetent and bureaucratic, but it does a pretty decent job, where allowed to by Congress, at holding the ring and at least trying to assure a level playing field. Before the States Rights crowd criticize too much they should start by fixing the blatant electoral gerrymandering that undermines democracy (both political parties are guilty of it), and they should be scrupulous about jailing those who take money for favors.
I say that the Federal government is doing quite a good job, but when it comes to competition it seems to be on permanent holiday. There are currently a huge number of blatantly uncompetitive mergers going on, and the only one that seems to have come to the attention of the authorities is the merger of two office product companies – small beer in the scale of things. Thus is government terrified of upsetting big business?
You make such a good point about the relative non-scrutiny of state governments. People assume that because they operate on a smaller level, they are less open to corruption, but that isn’t necessarily true. There’s also a lot of coverage about how much the federal government has become beholden to corporate lobbying, but the same could be said for state governments. For instance, many energy companies have successfully lobbied states for lax regulations on fracking. Companies don’t even have to disclose what chemicals they put in the water used in the fracking process.
Its also worrying that New York was the worst state- New York is one of the most Democratic states in the union. If Democrats can’t be relied on to be free of corruption, who can? This is yet more evidence for a pessimistic prognosis on America’s future.